Analysis of proteins in solution by high-performance liquid chromatography is presented with respect to structural changes in solution, adsorption processes and differentation concerning specific activities. Trypsin and cellulases were taken as examples.

Development of the basic theory relating gradient and isocratic separations, essential to later work on DryLab I and DryLab G.

In Ion-pair reversed-phase chromatography, the retention of ionized analytes on a nonpolar bonded stationary phase is enhanced by the presence of a "hydrophobic" counterion (hetaeron) in the mobile phase. Either ion-pair formation in the mobile phase with relatively strong retention of the complex or the conversion of the stationary phase into an ion-exchanger may explain the phenomenon. Analysis of the pertinent equilibria shows that the observed hyperbolic or parabolic dependence of the capacity factors on the hetaeron concentration cannot shed light on the mechanism. The experimental data obtained for the retention of catecholamlnes by using C4-C10 alkyl sulfates and other similar hetaerons in a wide concentration range, however, could be mechanistically interpreted from the chain length dependence of the parameters for the relationship between the capacity factors and hetaeron concentration. Although the results clearly demonstrate that in the system investigated, ion-pair formation governs retention, ion-exchange mechanism can be operative under certain conditions. Changes in retention upon addition of salt to the eluent are treated both theoretically and experimentally. The effect of organic solvents on the behavior of the chromatographlc system is discussed in view of the proposed theory.

0ver a hundred acidic urinary constituents were separated within 30 min by using 5-µm octadecylsilica columns and gradient elution with increasing acetonitrile concentration in dilute aqueous phosphoric acid solution at 70°. The column effluent was monitored with a UV detector at 280 nm or with a fluorescence detector at 260 nm excitation and 340 nm emission wavelengths. The high sensitivity and speed of analysis, the excellent reproducibility and adequate resolution obtained suggest that this technique may be useful to obtain metabolic profiles in routine clinical work.

Microparticulate non-polar stationary phases, such as octadecyl-silica offer a rapid and efficient means for the separation of peptides and amino acids by high-performance liquid chromatography. Retention is attributed to hydrophobic interaction between the solutes and the hydrocarbonaceous functions covalently bound to the stationary phase surface. Consequently the species are eluted in the order of increasing hydrophobicity. Various peptide mixtures were analyzed by using gradient elution with increasing acetonitrile concentration in the eluent and monitoring the column effluent at 200 or 210 nm with an UV detector. The separation of angiotensins and enzymic digest of polypeptides illustrates the speed of the method which can be used to assay the purity of peptide hormones such as α-melanotropin and gramicidin or to analyze the composition of reaction mixtures involving peptides. The efficiency of the method is superior to that obtained on the conventionally used ion-exchanger columns, except for hydrophilic amino acids and peptides that are poorly retarded. Nevertheless, with a suitable ionic surfactant in the mobile phase, non-polar stationary phases can be used for the separation of these species as well.

The effect of solute ionization on the retention of weak acids, bases, and ampholytes on octadecylsilica was investigated both theoretically and experimentally. The retention was attributed to a reversible association of the stationary phase. A phenomenological treatment of the corresponding equilibria was developed for various types of ionogenic substances. The energetics of the association process was analyzed in a rigorous fashion in the light of the solvophobic theory and a semi-empirical extension of the Debye-Hückel theory to high ionic strength. The predicted effect of solute ionization on the capacity factors was substantiated by experimental data. The observed dependence of the capacity factors on the ionic strength of the eluent and the hydrophobic surface of the solute molecules showed good agreement with the theory. The advantages of the technique in the separation of biological substances are illustrated.